Rick Cheverton, a beekeeper in Knoxville, Tennessee just finished his wintertime project: four gorgeous homemade bee hives with all the accoutrements. Rick shares his thought process and explains some of the changes he made from standard designs. All text and photos below are courtesy of Rick. Winter’s work is done, and I’m just waiting for […] Read more

I love cool bee structures. This set-up was built by Michael Skeels of Frenchtown, Montana. I published photos of this bee house back in October of last year, just as construction was finishing. Now it’s up and running and full of bees. Michael sent this update in response to my post about protecting hives from […] Read more

After last week’s post about wind-toppled bee hives, lots of beekeepers explained how they managed to reinforced their hive stands, and a few sent photographs. I’ve gathered the photos together below so you can take a look and “bee” inspired. Nancy Baker This is my summer set up. During hurricane season and through the winter […] Read more

Elena Campbell protected her colonies from just about everything. She installed electric bear fencing, robbing screens, insulating wraps, candy boards, ant moats, weights, and tie-downs. She thought she had everything covered until an unexpected Eastern Washington wind laid them flat. Elena explained that her day started out a crisp 20°F. Although the forecast called for […] Read more

Earlier this year, on March 24, I posted a story about 74-year-old Dutch beekeeper Evert Jan van Tongeren. In that story, Evert Jan shared the history of the Lorsch Bee Blessing, invoked to make swarms return home. He also included some photos of his bee house and the ban mask that wards off evil spirits. […] Read more

I had an enlightening email conversation with a 74-year-old fourth-generation Dutch beekeeper who has been in the apicultural business since he was 12. Now, that’s a lot of beekeeping! Even though he learned the craft from his father and grandfather, Evert Jan van Tongeren remains fascinated by new ideas and the latest insights into beekeeping. […] Read more

Whenever someone mentions an observation hive, I remember a small and narrow glass box that I once saw in a New Jersey museum. The bees came and went through a small tube and the comb was all crushed against the glass and not all that interesting. But last week when beekeeper Carl Uhlman of Seattle […] Read more

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The Beekeeper’s Handbook

The Valkyrie Long Hive

Bee Wise

Bee-yond Bees

Bees are more than a hobby;
they are a life study,
in many respects a mirror
of our own society.

—William Longgood

Why Honey Bee is Two Words

Regardless of dictionaries, we have in entomology a rule for insect common names that can be followed. It says: If the insect is what the name implies, write the two words separately; otherwise run them together. Thus we have such names as house fly, blow fly, and robber fly contrasted with dragonfly, caddicefly, and butterfly, because the latter are not flies, just as an aphislion is not a lion and a silverfish is not a fish. The honey bee is an insect and is preeminently a bee; “honeybee” is equivalent to “Johnsmith.”

—From Anatomy of the Honey Bee by Robert E. Snodgrass

State Insects

The non-native European Honey Bee is the state insect of:

Arkansas

Georgia

Kansas

Louisiana

Maine

Mississippi

Missouri

Nebraska

New Jersey

North Carolina

Oklahoma

South Dakota

Tennessee

Utah

Vermont

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Not one native bee is a state insect. The closest relative of a North American native bee to make the list is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp, the state insect of New Mexico.

iNaturalist

Where Are Your Hives?

Beekeepers are everywhere. Each time someone visits Honey Bee Suite, his or her location will appear on the map.

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Mission Statement

Honey Bee Suite is dedicated to honey bees, beekeeping, wild bees, other pollinators, and pollination ecology. It is designed to be informative and fun, but also to remind readers that pollinators throughout the world are endangered. Although they may seem small and insignificant, pollinators are vital to anyone who eats.